Post by cj on Jan 16, 2012 0:56:49 GMT -5
Again, all I can say is the system works very well in the NHL and yes it had some start up hiccups too but they've done the work and installed the system and they get it right 99.9% of the time. You have a replay official in the press box at each game, sometimes the crew's supervisor or as a member of the crew, on a direct line to both the referee (in a head set like thye do in English and FIFA soccer now) and the league war room which would probably be in New York. The war room ishooked up with the telecast and can call in every shot if necessary (the NHL in a way might have it better because sometimes there are two different feeds by each team and the league office can look at either one). When something occurs, either by experience or by looking at his own monitor, that the replay official feels hould be reviewable, he tells the referee in his head set the play is being reviewd and gets on the horn with the league official in New York. On a given night the NHL can haver as many games, if not more, going on in a given time slot as the NFL. Makie a list of what reviews the replay official can initiate, say all plays that can end in a score, all plays covering more than 25 (a number I just hcdose at random) yards, plays at the side line, catch or no catch, forward pass or empty hand, the tuck rule. Whatever you want. Spotting the ball on a possible first down. If he sees something, often within 20 seconds, a replay will show the wrong call is made and a correction applied. Done. None of this garbage of the referee getting under the hood (I am sure he is talking to the replay official who is allowed to help him). Sometimes, it's very tough and the good lord can't separate the right decision from the wrong decision but that is rarely so today given hd television and whatever. Give each coach up to 2 additional challenges as you don't want to review every 4 yard gain. Let them decide if something outside the list should be reviewed. If they're right, they get another challenge. If they're wrong, no additional challenge. But they don't have to worry about being out of challenges at a critical time.
Yes the system will have hiccups as what works almost perfectly in the NHL is adapted to NFL football but it can be done. The on field officials, everybody here believes, do as good a job as possible under the circumstances. Some of these calls are microthin as to what is right and what is wrong. But at least you'll have some consistancy on whether a pass is complete or incomplete. Was the pass in the New England game Saturday night on the Pats second touchdown complete or incomplete? Maybe a different referee looking at it would have come to a different opinion.
At least in the NHL, there is some consitancy. On Thanksgiving weekend at the end of November, I watched a game between New Jersey and Long Island where trailing by a goal the Devils scored in the dying seconds of the game. The referee ruled the goal good on the ice. Replay was totally inconclusive as the legue rule book says no goal can be scored if the puck is deliberately directed into the net by a skate with a distinct kicking motion. It was as close a call as I've ever seen. I couldn't see any distinct kicking motin. In any event, the covering referee on the ice had allowed the goal and after replay, it was disallowed. As a Devils fan, I might have thought there was no distinct kicking motion and was angry, but ther same call would have been made under any circumstances and nobody blamed the referee one way or the other.
Who knows? If they had a sensible replay system, perhaps Walt Coleman would be allowed to work Oakland Raider games today. But in all seriousness, it's time the NFL realized it's not the only major league sport and takes a lesson from the NHL which has done all the ground work. The system works in the NHL, almost all fans accept it, and would work far better in the NFL than what we have now.
Yes the system will have hiccups as what works almost perfectly in the NHL is adapted to NFL football but it can be done. The on field officials, everybody here believes, do as good a job as possible under the circumstances. Some of these calls are microthin as to what is right and what is wrong. But at least you'll have some consistancy on whether a pass is complete or incomplete. Was the pass in the New England game Saturday night on the Pats second touchdown complete or incomplete? Maybe a different referee looking at it would have come to a different opinion.
At least in the NHL, there is some consitancy. On Thanksgiving weekend at the end of November, I watched a game between New Jersey and Long Island where trailing by a goal the Devils scored in the dying seconds of the game. The referee ruled the goal good on the ice. Replay was totally inconclusive as the legue rule book says no goal can be scored if the puck is deliberately directed into the net by a skate with a distinct kicking motion. It was as close a call as I've ever seen. I couldn't see any distinct kicking motin. In any event, the covering referee on the ice had allowed the goal and after replay, it was disallowed. As a Devils fan, I might have thought there was no distinct kicking motion and was angry, but ther same call would have been made under any circumstances and nobody blamed the referee one way or the other.
Who knows? If they had a sensible replay system, perhaps Walt Coleman would be allowed to work Oakland Raider games today. But in all seriousness, it's time the NFL realized it's not the only major league sport and takes a lesson from the NHL which has done all the ground work. The system works in the NHL, almost all fans accept it, and would work far better in the NFL than what we have now.